Orientation to key actions for establishing a water safety plan audit scheme in Indonesia

Written by Indah Deviyanti

The water safety plan (WSP) is globally widely adopted and recognised as the most effective and reliable approach to ensure high quality of drinking water and protect communities from contamination. Since its introduction in Indonesia in 2017, WSP has been adopted by drinking water providers across the country. In parallel, the government is actively reflecting its implementation in the revision of Ministry of Health’s ministerial decree on drinking water quality surveillance.

Fig 01. Caption: Drinking water technician of PDAM Tugu Tirta Kota Malang checking the chlorine dose as part of operational monitoring.  Photo Credit: WHO/Rumah Drone Aerial

Auditing is a critical step to ensure correct and sustainable implementation of WSP and compliance with regulatory requirements. In 2022, WHO initiated the discussion on the establishment of a national WSPs audit scheme. To support the Indonesian government in initiating the WSP audit scheme and mechanism, a national workshop on WSP audit scheme was conducted in Bogor City, 12-14 July. This workshop contributed to the detailed planning of a functional and robust national WSP regulatory audit scheme in Indonesia.

“ An important action to initiate the WSPs Audit framework is to sit down and discuss with various of stakeholders, assessing various options and it can fit with Indonesian context” Ms.Tutut Indra Wahyuni Acting Directorate of Environmental Health in her opening remark 

Staff working in public and environmental health, laboratories, legal bureau, planning, academia, and water safety specialists at the national and subnational government levels and donor agencies participated in this workshop. Darryl Jackson, a WSP expert, facilitated the workshop along with technical officers from WHO Indonesia, MoH staff and WSP practitioners from the Malang water provider.

Fig. 02. Caption: Darryl Jackson, a WSP expert and WHO consultant, guided the discussion. Photo Credit: WHO/Indah Deviyanti

The workshop discussed the current situation, including challenges, opportunities, and available modalities for establishing the WSP audit framework. It aimed to facilitate the development of a scheme that draws on experiences from around the world.

During the workshop, participants were asked to consider all key factors discussed and think of practical and achievable ways to initiate the WSP audit scheme over the next three years. The WHO practical guide to auditing water safety plans was used as a reference. The participants agreed on three key strategies for accelerating WSP audit: utilizing regulations and legislative instruments, ensuring modalities for WSP audit implementation, and WSP audit implementation. They also drafted an action plan for initiating audit scheme.

To operationalise the draft action plan, WHO Indonesia and MoH are planning to provide technical support to further develop the audit framework and criteria. The audit tools will be trialled with four different types of water providers: regional, district/city, community piped water distribution system, and non-piped water distribution system. The WSP audit will be initiated in mid-2023.